Last week in my SMS primer, I discussed the role of the SMS gateways that provide connectivity to the mobile infrastructure that makes SMS messaging possible. If you've developed a mobile application and need connectivity to the carriers, you'll need an SMS gateway.
There are a number companies offering SMS gateway services. These companies are also referred to as SMS aggregators. Some have direct connections to carriers and others don't. This can affect pricing.
Here are a number of the larger and well-known SMS gateway providers.
- mBlox (Global)
- Clickatell (Global)
- Verisign (Global)
- Air2Web (Global)
- Motricity (Global)
- Kapow (United Kingdom)
- OpenMarket (United States/North America)
- SinglePoint (United States/North America)
Several tips:
- Be sure to talk to a few providers. Rates will vary from provider to provider and you may find that one provider provides better rates to the carriers that you anticipate you'll be dealing with most.
- If you're planning to leverage Premium SMS billing, be sure to ask the providers about their payment terms. Some offer expedited payment programs that ensure you get paid sooner than you would otherwise if you had to wait for the carrier to settle up with the gateway.
- Many providers also offer pre-built applications, not just connectivity. If you're looking to run a simple SMS marketing campaign, for instance, you will almost certainly be able to leverage a managed service instead of having to build your own SMS marketing application and then acquire gateway service. This can save you a significant amount of money.
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Reader comments (6)
9:01PM on 19th November 2009
Very informative article. Thanks for sharing.
2:28AM on 1st January 2010
Great information. It was a good read.
12:55PM on 2nd March 2010
SMS gateway provider for Netherlands and Belgium.
The SMS gateway service provides companies and institutions with investment without routing SMS messages. From your own application or system through an Internet link established with the gateway of Picasse. Your organization is able to integrate SMS in total customer contact channels.
Examples of applications:
• Communication with employees
• Exploit of paid SMS services
• Send or receive information or alerts during emergencies or events
• Communicating with your relations
• Reaching new audiences
10:11PM on 8th May 2010
SMS aggregators and service providers are great if you are sending a few messages or have big pockets becuase they charge per message and that works out very expensive.
Using an in-house gateway like OutboxSMS from Felltech works out a lot cheaper because they connect directly to the mobile network missing out the middleman. You can send unlimited messages for as little as $15 per month flat rate.
Also, an in-house gateway is more resilient because if you lose your Internet connection, you can still send messages!
10:58AM on 9th June 2010
Nice One.
1:44PM on 4th April 2012
I would highly rec. txtNation as an SMS Gateway Aggregator. txtNation provide good support and a solid platform for sure - see their trustpilot reviews. I used them from a refer-all for psms and Bulk SMS for my landing pages that needed for mobile billing conversions. Using now a mix of txtNation's SMS gateway and the Payforit system I am very happy with how things are going. txtNation care about their clients. Only slight issue is often on weekends i waited a day or so for a support reply. Rest is great.
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